Henson responded well to his shock omission from the first test and has admitted he needs to be a well-rounded player against top opposition to survive at Test level.
“You have to be able to do everything. Kick, pass and ruck,” said Henson. “Whatever number I start it doesn’t matter for me. You need to be able to do everything, especially against New Zealand.
“It was obviously disappointing not to be involved last week but I am just glad to be involved this time to try and turn things round and make it 1-1. It is a not a mission impossible. We have an exciting back-line, I think we are going to win a lot more ball and it’s going to be an awesome game.”
The second Test will be an intriguing encounter after the ‘cheap shot’ tackle that ended Lions captain Brian O’ Driscoll’s tour. The incident, ninety seconds into the game, left O’Driscoll with a dislocated shoulder and the Lions without their Talismanic tour captain.
New Zealand captain Tana Umaga and Kevin Mealamu were the culprits and although video footage appeared to corroborate the Lions accusations of taking part in a spear tackle, both escaped punishment. Umaga is unrepentant on the tour-ending injury and new Lions captain Gareth Thomas insists while there are no bad feelings there will be a “great battle” when the two clash on Saturday.
“Tana is a great player and after any dealings I have had with him off the pitch, I think he is a great guy as well,” he said. “I have the utmost respect for him but during the eighty minutes on Saturday I will put that aside and it will be a great battle I hope.”
